Massachusetts district attorney: Amy Bishop could have been charged in '86 shooting of brother

BRAINTREE, MASS. -- Massachusetts prosecutors have just announced that they have found the missing files in the 1986 shooting death of Amy Bishop's brother, and that she could have been charged with assault and weapons crimes.

Boston.com broke the news shortly before 5 p.m. The Norfolk District Attorney's Office released a statement that said, after reviewing the recently found files, probable cause existed to arrest Bishop. But, at the time, the death was declared accidental. The statute of limitations on those charges ran out in 1992, the statement said.

Excerpts from the statement:

The reports supply significant additional details into the incident and
the circumstances of the apprehension of Amy Bishop. The reports do not
contradict the previously released information regarding the sole eye
witness, the victim's mother, who told police at the time that she
directly observed the shotgun in her daughter's hands discharge
accidentally, striking and killing Seth Bishop. ...

Mayor Sullivan further stated: "A review of Braintree municipal records
also revealed that Amy Bishop's mother was one of 240 elected Town
Meeting members. She represented Precinct 3 from 1980 to 1993. She
served one year (1985) on the Braintree Arts Lottery Council, with her
husband. There is no indication in town records that she served on the
Personnel Board or any other elected or appointed office."